# blemish

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈblɛmɪʃ/ · frequency rank #34,802

## Definitions
1. A small flaw which spoils the appearance of something, a stain, a spot.
2. A moral defect; a character flaw.

## Etymology
From Middle English blemisshen, blemissen, from Old French blemiss-, stem of Old French blemir, blesmir (“make pale, injure, wound, bruise”) (French blêmir), from Old Frankish *blesmijan, *blasmijan (“to make pale”), from Old Frankish *blasmī (“pale”), from Proto-Germanic *blasaz (“white, pale”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shine”). Cognate with Dutch bles (“white spot”), German blass (“pale”), Old English āblered (“bare, uncovered, bald, shaven”).

## Easily confused with
- **bluish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/blemish-vs-bluish)

## Common misspellings (11)
`bblemish`, `belmish`, `bleimsh`, `blemihs`, `blemishh`, `blemissh`, `blemmish`, `blemsih`, `bllemish`, `blmeish`, `lbemish`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/blemish